The present invention is directed to sill assemblies for doors or windows, and more particularly to an end plug having an integral weep system for channeling water away from the sill assembly.
Sill assemblies are typically associated with doors and windows, and provide a transition from the exterior or outside environment and the interior space of a dwelling. Such sill assemblies are anchored to the lower, horizontal jamb of a door frame or window frame and provide a sealing and weather-proofing barrier for the doorway or window opening of the dwelling.
Sill assemblies may be manufactured of various materials, but most recent constructions utilize fiberglass or other thermoplastic material manufactured by conventional extrusion techniques. Fiberglass sill assemblies provide excellent weatherability, are attractive in appearance, are lightweight for ease of shipping and handling, are relatively wear resistant, and are virtually maintenance-free. However, it is often necessary to custom cut and fit each sill assembly to the particular doorway or window opening. Cutting and fitting materials such as fiberglass, although not difficult, is messy and undesirable due to the release of dust and fibers during the cutting process.
Sill assemblies must also provide adequate run-off for rain and/or melted snow so that there is no accumulation of water in or around the doorway or window frame that may cause mildew, rot or other water damage. For example, water from rain or snow may tend to seep through the interface between the door or window and sill to accumulate in the channels formed in the sill assembly. Other leaks can develop at the ends of the sill assembly where it is secured to the bottoms of the vertical door frame jambs or window frame jambs.
In order to eliminate the accumulation of water in sill assemblies, various types of weep systems have been incorporated in attempts to channel water away from the sill assembly. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,136,814, 5,012,614 and 3,900,967. In addition, the incorporation of weep doors along the outer edges of sill assemblies is also known. However, typically such installations require the machining or cutting of slots and/or holes in the fiberglass sill to provide a weeping path for the water. As noted above, the machining or cutting of fiberglass is undesirable and preferably should be eliminated if at all possible. In addition, the weeped doors used to date are relatively small and can easily become blocked by the accumulation of dirt, leaves, and the like.
The present invention is directed toward a sill assembly for doors and windows that provides a unique and improved weep system for channeling water away from the sill assembly. The present assembly provides a new and better arrangement which is simple in construction, minimizes production costs, and includes improvements that will enable greater ease of installation and which effectively provide adequate run-off for water that may accumulate from rain or melted snow.
In order to accomplish this, the sill assembly of the present invention provides an elongated frame member formed with a longitudinally extending, upwardly open channel that defines a rear wall, a front wall and a floor that extends laterally and slopes downwardly from said rear wall to said front wall, and a sill that extends laterally from the front wall to a forward edge of the frame member. An end plug is mounted to one end of the elongated frame member and has a laterally extending drainage ramp disposed flush with and immediately adjacent the floor of the channel of the elongated frame member. The ramp has a forward edge which leads to a drainage chamber disposed beneath the sill of the frame member. The chamber is at least partially defined by an outer wall near the forward edge of the frame member which has an opening therein which in turn is closed by a hinged weep door. As a result, water that may accumulate in the channel, or water that may run down the exterior surface of a door or window onto the frame member flows to one end of the channel and onto the ramp which in turn directs the water into the drainage chamber and then through the weep door and away from the sill assembly.
The invention is also directed toward the end plug itself used in the sill assembly. The end plug includes an elongate body having a rearward portion and a forward portion, and is defined by a rear wall, a front wall and an upstanding support wall extending longitudinally between the front and rear walls. A ramp integrally formed on the top of the support wall in the rearward portion of the body extends forwardly and slopes downwardly from the rear wall to a front edge thereof. A drainage chamber is formed in the forward portion of the body of the end plug and communicates with the front edge of the ramp and is defined at least partially by the support wall and the front wall of the elongate body. The front wall of the end plug has an opening formed therein which is preferably closed by a hinged weep door. Thus, the ramp directs water received thereon into the chamber where it drains through the opening in the front wall away from the door or window assembly. The end plug also includes a guide member in the form of a substantially channel-shaped flange which extends laterally from the support wall is and is used to properly position the end plug in one end of a frame member of the sill assembly so that the ramp is positioned at a location flush with and immediately adjacent to the floor of a channel for the frame member. The end plug also includes an integral mounting plate extending laterally from the support wall for mounting an upstanding jamb of a sill assembly thereto.
The novel end plug and sill assembly disclosed herein provides a unique and improved weep system for channeling water away from the sill assembly. The only fabrication necessary is to cut the sill assembly to the proper length which avoids the machining of various slots and/or other openings in the sill assembly. The end plug provides three different functions in one embodiment, namely, a weep system, a plug for the end of the sill in order to contain the water to the sill rather than the surrounding frame work, and the fastening of a jamb to the sill. By incorporating all of these features into a single end plug, the sill assembly minimizes production costs and provides ease of installation.